Daily Comment on News and Issues of Interest to Michigan Lawyers

June 2015

06/30/2015

The Michigan Supreme Court has announced that the Hon. Milton L. Mack Jr. has been named State Court Administrator.

Judge Mack has served on the Wayne County Probate Court since 1990, and has served as chief judge since 1998. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Mack was an attorney in private practice, a Wayne County commissioner and a City of Wayne councilman.

He will assume his new role as State Court Administrator on July 27. He will work to improve the courts' service to the public by measuring their performance and using the data to improve outcomes, implementing new technology to help citizens access the courts and re-engineering court processes to increase efficiencies.

06/19/2015

overnor Rick Snyder is looking for candidates to fill two probate court seats: one in Kent County and one in Menominee County. The seat in Kent County is the one vacated by Hon. George Jay Quist and the seat in Menominee County is the one vacated by Hon. William A. Hupy.

If you are a State Bar of Michigan member who resides in either judicial district and meets the qualifications for either position, access the application on the governor's website and submit it to the governor's office no later than June 23, 2015.

Contact Cheri Arwood, executive administrator of the Legal Division of the governor's office, with any further questions at 517-241-5630.

- See more at: http://sbmblog.typepad.com/#sthash.lNPwCkdD.dpuf

Governor Rick Snyder is looking for candidates to fill two probate court seats: one in Kent County and one in Menominee County. The seat in Kent County is the one vacated by Hon. George Jay Quist and the seat in Menominee County is the one vacated by Hon. William A. Hupy.

If you are a State Bar of Michigan member who resides in either judicial district and meets the qualifications for either position, access the application on the governor's website and submit it to the governor's office no later than June 23, 2015.

Contact Cheri Arwood, executive administrator of the Legal Division of the governor's office, with any further questions at 517-241-5630.

- See more at: http://sbmblog.typepad.com/#sthash.lNPwCkdD.dpuf

Governor Rick Snyder is looking for candidates to fill two probate court seats: one in Kent County and one in Menominee County. The seat in Kent County is the one vacated by Hon. George Jay Quist and the seat in Menominee County is the one vacated by Hon. William A. Hupy. - See more at: http://sbmblog.typepad.com/#sthash.lNPwCkdD.dpuf

Governor Rick Snyder seeks applications for an opening on the Michigan Court of Appeals. The opening is for the 2nd District seat becoming vacated by the Hon. Pat M. Donofrio, representing Genesee, Oakland and Macomb Counties.

If you are a State Bar member residing within the judicial district who meets the legal qualifications for this office and are interested in applying, visit Governor Snyder's website for further information and the judicial application. The deadline to submit your application is June 24.

Contact Cheri Arwood, Executive Administrator of the Legal Division in the Office of Governor Rick Snyder with any further questions at 517-241-5630.

06/17/2015

The State Bar of Michigan staff dedicated a garden today in front of its Lansing headquarters in memory of the late William "Will" Kramer III, who served as the State Bar's Director of Information Technology Services from 2000 until his death in June of 2013.

Kramer's wife, Suzanna (Suzie), two children, William (Kiv) and Alexandra (Allie) and his father, William Jr., attended the ceremony. Kramer's children and father added plants to the garden. His father brought lilies of the valley that Will had transplanted from his home to his father's. His father said it was fitting that he now transplant those lilies of the valley again to a place shared by his work family.

Will's impact on the State Bar was enormous. Even before his illness, he served as role model for integrity, diligence, dignity and kindness. As he struggled through the challenges of his illness, he became an extraordinary example of how to live.

06/08/2015

A pilot online ticket review program allowing for online and mobile review and resolution of minor disputes and violations expands this week to East Lansing's 54B District Court. The program, already running in Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti, Saline, Northfield Township, Highland Park and Bay County, allows the public to resolve tickets, outstanding fines and missed court dates without missing work.

06/05/2015

Governor Rick Snyder is looking for candidates to fill two probate court seats: one in Kent County and one in Menominee County. The seat in Kent County is the one vacated by Hon. George Jay Quist and the seat in Menominee County is the one vacated by Hon. William A. Hupy.

If you are a State Bar of Michigan member who resides in either judicial district and meets the qualifications for either position, access the application on the governor's website and submit it to the governor's office no later than June 23, 2015.

Contact Cheri Arwood, executive administrator of the Legal Division of the governor's office, with any further questions at 517-241-5630.

06/04/2015

SBM Blog wants to give a shout-out to the Hon. Elizabeth L. Gleicher for writing one of the most entertaining opinions issued in quite some time in Johnson v. Department of Natural Resources. Props also go to the Hon. Kirsten Frank Kelly and the Hon. Deborah A. Servitto for signing on to such a creative piece of legal writing.

First published in 1905, Pigs is Pigs, by Ellis Parker Butler, tells the story of a railroad agent who insisted on charging the “livestock” rate for a shipment of two guinea pigs, rather than the lower rate applicable to domestic pets. Butler, Pigs Is Pigs (Colver Publishing House, 1905), pp 5-6. “Rules is rules,” the agent announced, and “th’ nationality of the pig creates no differentiality in the rate.” Id. at 7. The man who had ordered the guinea pigs refused to be bullied by the bureaucratic agent. Rather than pay a rate he viewed as exorbitant (30-cents a guinea pig), the buyer left the creatures at the station. Id. at 8. Within weeks, two guinea pigs became hundreds. The chastened agent announced, “Rules may be rules,” but henceforth, “pigs is pets.” Id. at 36.

06/02/2015

The program celebrates the extraordinary pro bono and community service hours volunteered by Michigan attorneys.

This month, we celebrate the Shiawassee County Bar Association, which hosted its seventh Annual Free Legal Advice Fair at the historic Shiawassee County Circuit Courthouse in Corunna on May 1 as part of its Law Day celebration.

Twenty-three people came to get legal advice on a wide variety of matters, including real estate, expungement, family law, land contracts and more. The attorneys who donated their time include Barb Dawes, Tom Moorhead, Cole Schmidt, Pat McAvoy, Jennifer Peplinski, Rob Ellis, Bob Ashley, Lynn Bowne, Richard Burlingame, James Gutting and Sarah Bouck.

Sincere "thank yous" were heard throughout the day, with one attendee remarking that he appreciated the generous annual gift of time by the attorneys, and another stating, "I am really glad I came today."

If you'd like to have good news like this delivered right to your inbox, email State Bar of Michigan Pro Bono Service Counsel Robert Mathis at rmathis@mail.michbar.org.